Latin American History

There are multiple ways to use this guide. The resources are listed alphabetically. Use the Index on the left to jump to a particular microform.Clicking on the call number will open a link to the full catalog record in UMD's online catalog. Clicking on the 'Full Description' will expand the text for an overview of that collection. Print and online indexes and finding aids, as well as digitized versions of the collections, are listed under other sources when available. (Some of these are outside links not maintained by the University. To report broken links, please click on the 'comment' link at the top of the page or contact the author of the Guide.)

Central Intelligence Agency. Latin America: 1946-1976.

CIA Research Reports: Latin America, 1946-1976

From the publisher's catalog: "Through its research reports the CIA examines important developments in Latin American domestic politics, foreign relations, and economic issues... All of the documents... were initially classified or available only to high government officials."

The following source provides more detailed information about the contents of each microfilm reel in the collection:

The National Security Files (NSF) were the working files of John F. Kennedy's special assistant fornational security affairs, McGeorge Bundy. The ten reels of microfilm from the National Security File, Country File, Latin America, focus on Brazil, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic. Nearly three reels on Brazil provide extensive documen-tation on internal Brazilian politics from the emergence to the overthrow of Goulart. There is extensive material on the U.S. aid program, and the documents make abundantly clear U.S. concern with Goulart's unpredictability and softness toward the Left. More than five reels on Cuba provide extensive detail on the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis. One reel on the Dominican Republic documents the internal political situation from the assassination of Rafael Trujillo to the overthrow of Juan E. Bosch. Many topics are left uncovered among the available documents on Latin America, but the coverage gives clear indication of the administration's priorities and its major areas of concern.

The collection, compiled from Cuban archives, contains documents spanning the period from Cuban independence to the end of the Batista regime. It's topics include Cuban feminism, women in politics, literature by Cuban women, and the legal status of women. The documents in the Stoner Collection, all of which are in Spanish, fall into three categories:

works by feminists about feminists and their causes;

works by men on the status of women;

and literary works by feminist writers that illustrate or discuss the condition of women.

Among the publications are Aspiraciones (1918), an early feminist journal published by the Partido Feminista Aspiraciones; La Mujer Moderno (1926), the journal for the Club Femenino de Cuba, the oldest Cuban feminist organization; and La Mujer (1929-1931), the journal of the Partido Demócrata Sufragista, focusing on the entire Cuban feminist movement.

Much of the collection is also available online through Research Port under the title "Feminism in Cuba, 1898-1958".

The following source provides more detailed information about the contents of each microfilm reel in the collection:

This collection includes manuscripts and printed works which can be used to study the history of Peru from the prehispanic period to the middle of the nineteenth century. The materials document the cultural history of the Andean people before the Spanish conquest; colonial civil administration; the role of the Catholic church in colonial society; the Bourbon reforms, the war of independence; the anarchy of the early republican period and the war of the Confederation Peru-Bolivia.

On the history of the Andean people before the conquest, the collection includes copies, complete and partial, of various accounts written by chroniclers Juan de Polo de Ondegardo, Juan de Santa Cruz Pachacuti, Antonio de la Calancha and Fernando de Montesinos.

The materials related to the colonial period are numerous and varied, and document the central area of the Peruvian viceroyalty (currently Peru and Bolivia) and its other areas such as Quito, New Granada, Chile and Rio de la Plata. To study the colonial civil administration during the 17th and 18th centuries, the reports written by the viceroys are valuable sources. There are also account books and legal writs which can be used to analyze the economic and political role of the Church in the colonial milieu, in particular the role of the Jesuit and the Mercedarian orders. The Bourbon reforms which took place in the Peruvian viceroyalty are especially well-documented in the numerous royal and vicergal decrees, issued mostly in the second half of the 18th century.

Concerning the War of Independence period, there are letters, reports and administrative texts by prominent personages such a Simón Bolívar, José de San Martín, Juan de Berindoaga and Antonio José de Sucre. The turbulent initial years of the republican period can be reconstructed from correspondence by generals Agustín Gamarra and Antonio Gutiérrez de la Fuente. Finally, there are several letters and military reports on the war of the Confederation Peru-Bolivia, an ambitious political plan to create a union between the two countries led by the General Andrés de Santa Cruz.

This collection is arranged in 2 parts; materials in each part are arranged alpahbetically by country, and by date within each country.

Part 2: The Mexico Collection (30 Reel)

The Mexico Collection is comprised of both originals and copies of government documents, including letters, decrees, edicts, ordinances, accounts and reports; church documents; correspondence; legal writs; political writings, and literary texts. The materials document the history of Mexico from the pre-Columbian period to the beginning of the 20th century, and illustrate the history of the peoples before the arrival of Spaniards; the Spanish conquest; the colonial civil and judicial administration; the role of the Catholic church in colonial society, the Bourbon reforms; the movement for independence; the First Mexican Empire, and the early republican period.

On the history of the peoples who inhabited the Mexican territory before the arrival of Spaniards, the collection includes originals and copies of works written by authors in the 18th and 19th centuries. There are texts by the historian Mariano Fernández de Echeverria y Veytia and the travelers Brantz Mayer and Brasseur de Bourbourg. Concerning the Spanish conquest, the collection includes a copy of Crónica de la Nueva España by Francisco Cervantes de Salazar, the most prominent humanist in Mexico during the 16th century. Although unfinished, Cervantes's text is a detailed and fascinating account of the military enterprise of Hernán Cortes and his comrades.

The texts concerning the colonial period constitute the core of the collection. To study the colonial civil administration during the 17th and 18th centuries, the reports written by viceroys and local authorities are valuable documents. The numerous legal writs are outstanding sources for understanding judicial administration and the literary culture of lawyers. Legal writs and decrees also provide rich information to analyze the economic, social and political significance of the Catholic church and the Jesuit, Franciscan, Dominican, Mercedarian, and Augustinian orders. The Bourbon reforms undertaken by colonial administration in the Mexican viceroyalty are extensively documented in the numerous royal and viceregal decrees, edicts, and ordinances promulgated mostly in the second half of the 18th century.

On the independence movement, there are letters, reports, accounts and administrative texts by some of its leading protagonists, including Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, Agustín de Itúrbide, and Viceroy José de Iturrigaray. The correspondence of the Itúrbide family represents, for instance, an exceptional primary source documenting the social and political turmoil of that time. Additionally, the account written by Gregorio Melero y Piña, a follower of Miguel Hidalgo, is vivid personal testimony of military and political conspiracies in San Luis Potosi. There are also original texts written about the political milieu by Carlos María Bustamante, the most important Mexican historian of the early 19th century.

The history of the first Mexican Empire, established by Agustín de Itúrbide after independence was achieved, is documented generally in several letters and official reports which trace its establishment, political opposition to it, and the abdication of Itúrbide. On the initial decades of the Mexican Republic, there are diverse and numerous materials, including military and diplomatic reports, constitutional texts, and administrative papers.

This collection is arranged in 2 parts; materials in each part are arranged chronologically.

Part 3: The Spain Collection (9 Reels)

The Spain Collection is comprised of both originals and copies of materials from Spain. The collection includes state documents such as decrees, ordinances and reports; ecclesiastical texts; correspondence; accounts of events; political writings and literary texts. They cover a broad period of Spanish history, from the beginning of the 15th century to the middle of the 18th century. The texts document important events and aspects of the reigns of Philip III, Philip IV, Philip V, Ferdinand VI and Charles III.

On the reign of Phillip III (1598-1621) the collection includes letters by the Duke of Lerma, the powerful private secretary (privado) to the King; documents related to state loans; and memorials. Memorials constitute outstanding sources for studying the political, social and economic conditions of the Spanish monarchy in the two first decades of the 17th century. Although a long tradition of writing memorials existed in Spain, Philip III's reign was particularly rich in the composition of such texts. They addressed such issues as the origin of the "decadence" of Spain, and important political and economic problems and their solutions. There are also texts on the conduct of foreign policy by Antonio Pérez; royal policy towards Portuguese "conversos" by Martín González de Cellorigo; and the duties of the King's private secretary by Pedro Madonado.

Documents on the reign of King Philip IV (1621-1665) are the most numerous of the collection. The main political and social events of that period, including the death of King Philip III; the political downfall of three major figures of the reign of King Philip III; the Duke of Lerma, the Duke of Osuna, and the Marquis of Siete Iglesias; the ceremonies proclaiming Philip IV King of Spain; the political career of the Duke of Olivares, the private secretary of the King; the plan for a matrimonial alliance between Spain and England; the economic efforts of the Spanish crown to finance its participation in the Thirty Years War; the Castilian monetary reforms; the Spanish intervention in the Netherlands war; and the political relations between the Spanish crown and its Italian allies in Milan, are described in handwritten and printed texts.

Important aspects of the history of the reigns of three Bourbon monarchs, Philip V (1700-1746), Ferdinand VI (1746-1759), and Charles III (1759-1788) are also documented in the collection. With no direct descendants, King Charles II named Philip, Duke of Anjou, a grandson of King Luis XIV of France, as his successor. The election of a French prince was not recognized by other European states, which had potential candidates of their own for the Spanish throne and were concerned about the expansion of French power on the continent. The war of the Spanish Succession and the efforts of Philip to consolidate his rule are illustrated in an extensive account of the period from 1712 to 1725, entitled "History of the Reign of King Philip V of Spain," and in other documents. Once the war was concluded, Philip started an ambitious program to reform the social, political, and economic structures of the Spanish monarchy. The so-called "Bourbon Reforms" encouraged crown ministers and other citizens to develop and write projects and plans to promote the social and economic development of Spain and its empire. Interesting examples of such writings are "España Despierta" and "Nuevo Sistema de Gobierno Económico para la América", by José del Campillo y Cosio a famous minister of Philip V.

The Bourbon Reforms were continued by Philip V's successors, Ferdinand VI and Charles III. Additional informative examples of Reform plans and projects, from the reign of Ferdinand VI, are included... There are also various documents on tax reform during Ferdinand's reign, and on the relationship between Inquisition and local powers. Of particular note regarding Charles III's reign is "Aniceto a Cándido" a discourse on the need to reform Spain; and an extensive "Memorial", addressed to the King, on the long controversy between the Society of Jesus and prelates and secular clergy over the payment of tithes. In addition, there are documents on the crown's attempt to exercise tight control over the Spanish Catholic church.

This collection is arranged in 2 parts; materials in each part are arranged chronologically.

According to the description provided by the publisher, Primary Source Microfilm, "The periodicals, books, and pamphlet publications collected here provide a unique window on Cuban culture from the early nineteenth century through the 1920s and 1930s. Cuba's large population of literate crillollos or creoles supported an active publishing industry that offered almanacs, gazettes, magazines for women, literary journals, books, and more.

Preserved here on microfilm are a wide variety of these publications. The serial publications include many complete or near complete runs of major magazines such as El Album, and hard-to-find short-lived periodicals such as the literary periodical La lira de apolo. These provide insights into the tastes and preoccupations of the creole classes who were their target audiences.

The roles of women with respect to domestic duties, child-rearing and "proper" conduct is reflected in such publications as La familia. The love stories and sentimental articles and poems contained in such literary periodicals as Album de las damas demonstrate popular beliefs -- both real and idealized -- about love and gender relations.

With its unique mixture of European and African influences, Cuban popular entertainment has always held particular fascination for North Americans. Included here are periodicals covering Cuban theater and music halls, such as Floresta cubana.

Other fascinating perspectives on Cuba's racial and ethnic heterogeneity can be seen in many of the collection's printed materials. Of all countries in the Western hemisphere, Cuba maintained slavery longest. Preoccupations with slavery, African culture, and freedom for slaves are captured in books and pamphlets throughout the collection."

This collection is arranged in 2 sections;Section A, which is comprised of reels 1-65, consists of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, mostly by Cuban authors. Section B, which is comprised of reels 66-96, consists of Cuban Periodicals.

This collection consists of "ephemeral materials, including flyers, broadsides, campaign literature, and posters which reflect the concerns of opposition parties and of lesser known political or social movements in Latin America." The collection was collected and microfilmed by the Library of Congress.

"Political and social ephemera predominate in this collection. Materials on Brazil are especially strong. The World War II era is very well represented across many countries and regions. Among these are: Anti-Nazi propaganda, U.S. and Latin American cooperation in the war effort, labor pamphlets, and Peru's APRA party material. Border disputes international arbitrations and especially the Chaco and Tacna-Africa conflicts are well represented."

The entire collection consists of 6,908 pamphlets which appear on 333 reels of microfilm and is available for consultation in the Library of Congress, Humanities and Social Sciences Division, Microform Reading Room.

McKeldin Library holds the following portion of the collection:

Reels 1-22 Argentina

Reels 32-87 Brazil

Reels 93-111 Cuba

The guide to the collection (see below) points the user to reel locations for specific countries and regions and their respective subjects. Individual pamphlets are not listed or identified separately in the the guide.

Entire guide to contents for the collection appears on first reel.

Print Guide to the collection is located in the Mckeldin Library Reference Microform Manuals, call number F1408.25.L28 1993 Guide

This collection consists of 9,624 pamphlets from Mexico, Peru, Central and South America on the social, political and economic conditions of these areas from the 17th to the early 20th century. The pamphlets encompass original reports and personal accounts, government records, economic reports, histories, biographies, political broadsides, scholarly theses, speeches and even playbills.

The collection is reproduced from more than 12,000 pamphlets housed in the Yale University Library.

The collection is divided into three sections: "Mexico," "Peru" and a "Miscellaneous" section on Central and South America, which includes Argentina, the Bahamas, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Equador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Venezuela and the West Indies. Each pamphlet is published on a separate microfiche and is assigned a unique identification (ID) number. The pamphlets are filed in each section by identification number.

The guide must be used to access the material in the collection. Like the pamphlets themselves, the guide is divided into the three sections noted above. Each section of the guide is indexed by subject (based on Library of Congress Subject Headings), by author and title, and chronologically.

Individual entries in the guide include title, author (if known), printer, city of imprint, country, number of pages, language, imprint date and pamphlet identification (ID) number. The ID number for each entry in the guide corresponds to the ID number of each michofiche.

The following source provides more information about the contents of each microfilm in the collection:

The National Security Files (NSF) were the working files of Lyndon B. Johnson's special assistants for national security affairs, McGeorge Bundy and Walt W. Rostow. 13 reels of declassified materials document the state of affairs in Cuba, the Panama and Dominican Republic crises, and formulation and implementation of the "Mann Doctrine" and the anti-Communist crusade. Documentation on a variety of emerging and evolving countries, including British Guiana, Peru, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, highlight the state of U.S. relations in Latin America, U.S. foreign aid and loans, border disputes. Communist and student demonstrations, and U.S. responses to various governmental crises and coup d'etats. In addition, it contains important material on the Alliance for Progress, information on U.S. economic and military assistance programs in various Latin American countries and on the proposal for a Latin American nuclear free zone. In all, the collection's thirteen reels give a good sense of the important role of Latin America in U.S. foreign policy in the 1960s.

The collection, compiled from Cuban archives, contains documents spanning the period from Cuban independence to the end of the Batista regime. It's topics include Cuban feminism, women in politics, literature by Cuban women, and the legal status of women. The documents in the Stoner Collection, all of which are in Spanish, fall into three categories:

works by feminists about feminists and their causes;

works by men on the status of women;

and literary works by feminist writers that illustrate or discuss the condition of women.

Among the publications are Aspiraciones (1918), an early feminist journal published by the Partido Feminista Aspiraciones; La Mujer Moderno (1926), the journal for the Club Femenino de Cuba, the oldest Cuban feminist organization; and La Mujer (1929-1931), the journal of the Partido Demócrata Sufragista, focusing on the entire Cuban feminist movement.

Much of the collection is also available online through Research Port under the title "Feminism in Cuba, 1898-1958".

The following source provides more detailed information about the contents of each microfilm reel in the collection:

According to the description provided by the publisher, Scholarly Resources "the collection contains a wide range of documentation, with its principal strength in primary sources such as serials, reports, fliers, pamphlets, posters, manuscripts, and correspondence. The publications generally provide a left-wing ideological perspective covering progressive and human rights issues, but documentation of the political right, the military governments, and the Church is also included.

These sources document a history of the activities of various groups, the responses of the government or other authoritative bodies, and the engagement of organizations outside of the country. This material offers a valuable grass-roots perspective on the evolution of the politics of the period and shows the impact that human rights organizations, solidarity groups, guerillas, labor unions, and women, to name a few, had on the state and political elites.

The collection is arranged by country and by subject, then chronologically internally.

The following sources provide more detailed information about the contents of each microfilm reel in the collection:

The Women's Movement in Cuba, 1898-1958

The Women’s movement in Cuba, 1898-1958: the Stoner collection on Cuban feminism

The collection, compiled from Cuban archives, contains documents spanning the period from Cuban independence to the end of the Batista regime. It's topics include Cuban feminism, women in politics, literature by Cuban women, and the legal status of women. The documents in the Stoner Collection, all of which are in Spanish, fall into three categories:

works by feminists about feminists and their causes;

works by men on the status of women;

and literary works by feminist writers that illustrate or discuss the condition of women.

Among the publications are Aspiraciones (1918), an early feminist journal published by the Partido Feminista Aspiraciones; La Mujer Moderno (1926), the journal for the Club Femenino de Cuba, the oldest Cuban feminist organization; and La Mujer (1929-1931), the journal of the Partido Demócrata Sufragista, focusing on the entire Cuban feminist movement.

Much of the collection is also available online through Research Port under the title "Feminism in Cuba, 1898-1958".

The following source provides more detailed information about the contents of each microfilm reel in the collection:

O.S.S Reports on Latin America, 1941-1961

Latin America: 1941-1961. O.S.S. State Department Intelligence and Research Reports

Through the research reports in this collection the U. S. State Department's Office of Strategic Services examines major developments in domestic economic political and governmental matters in Latin America for the years 1941-1961.

The Index must be used for access to this collection. The Index lists every item in the microfilm collection, first by reel number and then chronologically by frame number. The index also provides subject access to the collection.

The following sources provide more detailed information about the contents of each microfilm reel in the collection: